The Beginning Of The End Of The Liberal Media???

rcecale · rcecale's Garage

Interesting reading here.

Randy

Superman · 03-02-2005, 12:45 PM

Just as there will always be McNews and openly propagandized pretend-news programs (like Fox News), there will also always be objective information for interested people who can evaluate it for themselves. Wishful thinking, Randy.

Same with sports. There will always be the equivalent of Fox News in sports (like WWF bouts), and there will be Sporting News for those who can distinguish fantasy from reality.

tabs · 03-02-2005, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Superman
s for those who can distinguish fantasy from reality.

Hey thats what I do......no horning in on my territory now Supe.....

Jeff Higgins · 03-02-2005, 01:09 PM

We all like to think our chosen news source is fair and unbiased. We all accuse various news sources of slanting the news one way or the other depending upon our political leanings. Fox stands out from the crowd as pretty much the only source accused by the left as leaning right. They also stand out as the one that is currently on a ratings upswing. There has to be a connection there somewhere, but as a poor old moderately right leaning simpleton, I just can't figure it out.

tabs · 03-02-2005, 01:14 PM

With Rathergate I told U all that the News Media back was broken...It was the news media that brought down Nixon with it's cease less reporting of Watergate...otherwise Americans would have been content for it to disappear....and after Watergate the Media feeling it's oats or new found power...exerted it...until it stepped over the line and tried to influence the political process directly...tieing a story in with a Kerry advertisment campaign...

Also if U watch the 1975 movie Network...you would think that the movie was about today....News Media based upon popularity rating means that objective news suffers and gives rise to Tabloid journalism.

Superman · 03-02-2005, 01:15 PM

Jeff, God did indeed invest whiskey for that purpose. Did you hear what Jesus said to the Irish from the Cross? He said "Don't do anything until I get back."

Yeah, one group thinks there are many biased and a decent number of unbiased news sources. The other group thinks there is one unbiased source, and the rest of the world's new sources are hopelessly liberal. I'm a poor old simpleton also, but I've figured this one out. One group is looking for entertainment, and the other group is looking for information. or perhaps, one group is capable of evaluating data, and the other group wants soundbytes.

Superman · 03-02-2005, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tabs
News Media based upon popularity rating means that objective news suffers and gives rise to Tabloid journalism.

Exactly my point.

tabs · 03-02-2005, 01:42 PM

Hey Supe....THAT MEANS ALL TV NEWS>>>whether it's Rather, Brown, Jennings, Brokaw or O'Reilly....It's all based on how much they can charge for a minute of advertising....and how profitable they can be...and credibility suffers..

Superman · 03-02-2005, 01:57 PM

I didn't have that misunderstanding, Tabs. Or is it 'tabs?'

Two, and especially one in particular, of our local TV news channels has clearly discovered that sensationalism is far more effective at gathering viewership, and is far less expensive, than good investigative journalism. Having worked in or near government agencies these past fifteen years, it is striking how blatant they are. I've seen agencies give this TV news program good stories, only to have the program fail to air the story, and in its place substitute a mostly fictional story that took perhaps a few minutes to throw together. And it's a very popular program, precisely because of its irresponsible sensationalizing.

It's a darned caricature. for example, on the immediately preceding national news program, you might see one of those very brief soundbyte teaser commercials for the upcoming local broadcast. They'll say something like "Did you know that your home probably contains one of the most dangerous conditions ever found outside construction sites and freeways, that could kill or main any member of your family in the flash of an instant, that no one warns you about? Even your real estate agent is not going to say anything. Story at six." This announcement will be made loudly, by someone with a scowl or worried expression on their face.

The condition turns out to be the bathtub. #1 cause of death in homes, statistically. I suspect that those particular news personalities wear disguises when in public. I would if I were them.

djmcmath · 03-02-2005, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Superman
Did you hear what Jesus said to the Irish from the Cross? He said "Don't do anything until I get back."

Well, they boogered that all up. Somehow, despite direct orders from Jesus Himself, they managed to completely master the technology of The Pub, not to mention producing some of the finest alcoholic beverages in the world at the St. James Gate Brewery. (sigh)

As to the news, I agree with the sensationalism bit. I was watching news with a girl not too long ago, and there was a series of stories on child abuse. They were three random events, neatly arranged and presented to produce maximum possible outrage and shock -- and this was readily obvious to the casual observer. While my friend was shocked and outraged at these horrible people, I was cynically disgusted with humanity as a whole. It was so clear that they had carefully selected and arranged these particular stories specifically for their shock value -- you could almost say I was shocked by their blatency.

Dan

Jeff Higgins · 03-02-2005, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Superman
Jeff, God did indeed invest whiskey for that purpose. Did you hear what Jesus said to the Irish from the Cross? He said "Don't do anything until I get back."

That explains everything.

pwd72s · 03-02-2005, 06:12 PM

Oh yeah, I love the mainstream media. Here in Oregon, one of the Portland network stations recently did a series. The gist of which is that our Government hasn't spent enough on a Tsunami warning system off our coastline. They even admitted that with the distance from the fault line (75 miles west of the surf) the most time one could expect from quake to 150' waves is 15 minutes to get to high ground. Still, they argue for a Tsunami tax.
Gimme a break... Next up? "Asteroids...are we prepared? More at 11"...

Superman · 03-03-2005, 06:08 AM

Tabs, I still agree. It's not just King 5 News. In fact, it's not just TV news. In fact, it's not just news. It's commerce. The focus is on making a buck, and we are fooling ourselves when we imagine that commercial interests are always automatically aligned with the welfare of our people/nation. Folks like Fint and Bryan are going to continue to flip out when I talk like this, but frankly the profit motive causes antisocial behavior in quite a variety of markets. Certainly in the news and entertainment industries. And health care, and etc, etc.

Paul, I know where you're coming from and you know I enjoy disagreeing with you, though you probably also know I respect your input and often times we agree. On the matter of asteroid and tsunami warning systems, I'm not sure I don't support those efforts. The reason being that the cost might be fairly inconsequential in the greater scheme of colossal gubmint budgets, and the consequences of these events can be, well, in the case of asteroids, could potentially be existence-ending for us. An asteroid could, no kidding, end life as we know it. And we're currently watching something like 1% of the sky. We've got computers now, and I suspect that a tracking system might virtually eliminate the potential for a surprize cataclysm. I see what you mean about the fifteen minute warning in California. That's just enough time to work everyone into a panic before they die.

rcecale · rcecale's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Superman
I see what you mean about the fifteen minute warning in California. That's just enough time to work everyone into a panic before they die.

"I want to die peacefully, in a state of blissful sleep, not screaming and panicking like the passengers in his car."

Randy

tabs · 03-03-2005, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by pwd72s
Next up Asteroids...are we prepared?

Yep, thats why I always have a tube of Preparation H available for use at all times.....

tabs · 03-03-2005, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Superman
It's commerce. The focus is on making a buck, and we are fooling ourselves when we imagine that commercial interests are always automatically aligned with the welfare of our people/nation..... but frankly the profit motive causes antisocial behavior in quite a variety of markets.

One thing that has to be remembered is that without the economy of scale that large commercial interests provide...the standard of living that you enjoy would not be atainable nor available. It is the economy of scale that brings the price of goods down, and the ability to do the R&D of said products. There is indeed a trade off, quality of life & standard of living VS the corrosive effects on the environment and social structures...

Jeff Higgins · 03-03-2005, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Superman
I see what you mean about the fifteen minute warning in California. That's just enough time to work everyone into a panic before they die.

I fully agree; California should have some kind of early warning system in place. The warnings that it generates could then be disseminated to the public through their favorite media talking heads, rather than some boring old Emergency Broadcast System that does not have the pizzaz or marketing to hold an audience. Now to understand where I'm going with this, you have to understand that I was one of those juvenile deliquents that pulled school fire alarms for fun. You see, all it would take here would be to alert one "journalist" that is itching to get the scoop on his or her contemporaries. Of course in their rush to be first to air the big news, they wouldn't verify anything. He he he... The "handle" is pulled... Might be fun for awhile.